The present invention relates to a bill handling apparatus for feeding a bill inserted from a bill insertion slot, while reading the fed bill to identify the validity.
Generally, a bill handling apparatus identifies the validity of a bill inserted from a bill insertion slot by a user, and is incorporated into service apparatuses that provides various kinds of products and service corresponding to the bill value judged as being valid, such as, for example, a game media lending machine installed in a game hole, or an automatic dispenser, ticket-vending machine and the like installed in public areas.
The bill handling apparatus is usually provided with operation devices such as a bill feeding mechanism that feeds a bill inserted into a bill insertion slot, bill reading means for executing readout of the fed bill, bill identifying means for identifying the validity (also referred to as authentication judgment) from the read bill information and the like, and control means for driving and controlling the operation devices.
The above-mentioned bill reading means is provided with a photosensor which applies light to the fed bill and detects the reflected light and/or transmitted light, and the bill identifying means compares a detection signal from the photosensor with beforehand stored authorized bill data to identify the validity. In this case, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-357429, the bill identification accuracy is improved by detecting the entire width direction of the fed bill. In other words, disclosed in the publication No. 2001-357429 is a technique for forming the bill reading means comprised of the so-called line sensor formed of a light-emitting portion that irradiates almost the entire region of a passage width of the bill in the shape of a slit, and a light-receiving portion comprised of a photodiode array, reading information of the entire width of the passed bill, and thereby improving the identification accuracy of the validity.
Then, the light-emitting portion that irradiates in the shape of a slit is comprised of a light guide member that extends in the width direction of the fed bill and that receives at its one end the light applied from at least one LED, such a light guide member and light-receiving portion are disposed opposite to each other with a bill feeding path positioned therebetween, or disposed in parallel with each other on one side of the bill feeding path, and readout of the bill information is thereby executed.
As described above, in the configuration where the light of the LED that is an emitter is applied to the light guide member, due to characteristics of the light guide member, there is a problem that emission amounts are unstable at its one end and the other end. Therefore, in the case of using, as an irradiation portion, a predetermined length from the center portion where the emission amount of the light guide member is stable to opposite end portions, it is necessary to dispose the opposite end portions of the light guide member to exceed the passage width of the bill, and a problem arises that the bill identifying apparatus is increased in size in the bill passage width direction.
Accordingly, a bill handling apparatus enabling its miniaturization is required.